In today’s digital world, your personal information has become as valuable as gold to cybercriminals. Every day, these criminals work hard to steal and profit from people’s private data. From your social security number to your email password, everything about you has value in the criminal world. Let’s understand why they want your information so badly and learn how to keep it safe.
What Makes Your Information So Valuable?
Think of your personal information as pieces of a puzzle. Each piece might not seem important alone, but when criminals put them together, they can pretend to be you or steal your money. This information includes basic things like your name and address but also sensitive details like your Social Security number, credit card numbers, and online passwords. Criminals see your data as easy money – they can either use it themselves or sell it to other criminals.
The Five Types of Information Criminals Want Most
1. Identity Details
Criminals love getting their hands on your name, birth date, address, Social Security number, and driver’s license number. With these details, they can open new credit cards, take out loans in your name, or even commit crimes while still pretending to be you. For example, a criminal might use your complete identity to file a fake tax return and steal your refund.
2. Money Information
Your credit card numbers, phone numbers, and bank account details are like finding cash on the street for criminals. They can go on shopping sprees, transfer money out of your account, or sell your card numbers to other criminals. Some might make small purchases at first to check if the card works, then make bigger purchases once they know it’s active.
3. Login Details
Your usernames and passwords for email, social media, and shopping sites are extremely valuable. Criminals can use them to break into your accounts, steal more information, or pretend to be you to scam your friends and family. Many people use the same password for multiple accounts, so criminals often try using your email password on your bank account, too.
4. Medical Information
Your health records and insurance information might not seem valuable, but criminals can use them to get expensive medical care on your insurance or obtain prescription drugs illegally. Some sell this information to people without insurance who need medical care, creating a mess of false medical records.
5. Contact Information
Even simple things like your phone number, email address, and home address have value. Criminals use these to send you convincing scam messages, sell your information to spammers, or even plan real-world crimes. They might also use this information to make scam calls or emails seem more legitimate.
The Dark Web Marketplace: Where Your Information Goes
After stealing your information, criminals often sell it on the dark web – a hidden part of the internet that regular search engines can’t find. Here’s how your information gets sold:
Data Dealers: Think of them as illegal information brokers. They collect stolen data and sell it in bulk to other criminals.
Online Black Markets: These work just like regular online stores, but they sell stolen information instead of legal goods. Your credit card information might be listed right next to someone else’s stolen password.
Auction Style: Really valuable information, like complete identity packages or corporate data, often goes to the highest bidder.
The prices might surprise you. A single credit card number could sell for just $5-10, but a complete identity package (called a “fullz” in criminal slang) with your Social Security number, birth certificate information, and bank details could fetch $100-1000.
How Criminals Use Your Information? Know Their Five Tactics Now!
Once criminals have your data, they use it in several ways:
1. Financial Fraud:
The most direct approach is simply stealing your money through fake purchases or bank transfers. They might start with small purchases to test the waters before making bigger ones.
2. Identity Takeover:
With enough information, criminals can become you – opening new credit cards, renting apartments, or even getting jobs in your name. It can take years to fix the damage from identity theft.
3. Targeted Scams:
Using your personal information, criminals create very convincing scam emails or phone calls. They might know enough about you to pretend to be your bank or employer.
4. Medical Identity Theft:
Criminals use your insurance to get medical care, leaving you with the bills and potentially mixing up your medical records with someone else’s.
5. Business Attacks:
Sometimes they use stolen employee information to break into company systems, steal business secrets, or conduct corporate espionage.
Protecting Yourself: A Complete Action Plan
1. Use Strong, Unique Passwords
Create complex or hard-to-grasp passwords using a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Never use the same password twice. Consider using a safe password manager to keep track of them all.
2. Enable Extra Security
Turn on two-factor authentication for all your important accounts. This means even if criminals get your password, they still can’t get in without a code from your phone.
3. Be Scam-Smart
Question unexpected emails or messages asking for information. Real companies won’t ask for sensitive details through email. When in doubt, contact the same company directly using their official phone number.
4. Secure Your Devices
Make sure to keep your antivirus software and operating system updated. Use a VPN on public WiFi. Regular updates fix security holes that criminals try to exploit.
5. Monitor Your Accounts
You always need to check your bank and credit card statements on a weekly basis. Also, get your free credit report every few months and look for accounts you didn’t open.
6. Share Less Online
Think thrice before posting personal information on social media or any online platform. Criminals can piece together lots of information from your posts.
Summing It Up
Your personal information is valuable, and criminals have endless ways to profit from it. But you can better protect yourself by understanding what they want and how they operate. Keep your devices secure, be careful what you share, and stay alert for scams. Protecting your information is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Stay vigilant, follow these protection tips, and make it harder for cyber-criminals to steal your valuable personal data.
